WUZHEN, China (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping said the country will not close its door to the global internet, but that cyber sovereignty is key to the development of the internet.

China’s President Xi Jinping speaks at the opening ceremony of the “CPC in dialogue with world political parties” high-level meeting, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Fred Dufour/Pool

Xi’s comments were read by Huang Kunming, head of the Chinese Communist Party’s publicity department at the country’s largest public cyber policy forum in the town of Wuzhen in eastern China on Sunday.

Cyber sovereignty is the idea that states should be permitted to manage and contain their own internet without external interference.

The Chinese leader has overseen increased internet regulation in the last five years, peaking with a national cybersecurity law introduced in June which formalized strict local data controls.